GET THE FACTS
Q. What is APL?
A. Advanced Plasma Lighting (APL) is Topanga's proprietary configuration of an electrode-free plasma lamp placed external to the resonator. This new and patented configuration provides distinct advantages over currently available plasma lamps by extending the range of fixture applications, allowing a higher lumen output, improving color quality and resulting in substantially more energy efficiency.
Q. Is the APL Dimmable?
A. Yes, the APL is dimmable to 20% of full illumination and there are two ways of dimming; analog by adjusting the input voltage from 0 to 10V and digitally by using the on-board RS232 interface.
Q. What type of interfaces and connections will the APL accept?
A. The APL is managed by a digitally controlled power supply that works with an on-board thermocouple to monitor key components and simultaneously adjusts the output power to maintain performance, seamlessly. For more technical applications such specialty lighting, an RS-232 interface is available for increased control and for networking.
Q. What is the color temperature and color rendering index of the APL?
A. By adjusting the gas mixtures inside the bulb, the color temperature can change from 5,000-6,000K for Roadway and Area lighting, 6,500-9,000K for Specialty Lighting and to 3,200K for a warm interior color. In doing so, the Topanga APL can match the spectral signatures of installed sources including HPS, CMH, halogen. Another important attribute is the APL's ability to provide rich color saturations for vivid color rendering with CRI's ranging from 70 to as high as 95. For reference, noon-day sun has a color temperature of 6,500k and consistently the APL, also a plasma source of light, produces a near sunlight spectrum that can also be tailored to other color temperatures and adjusted for a given application.
Q. In terms of brightness how does it compare to other HID (high-intensity discharge) sources such as pulse start metal halide or high-pressure sodium?
A. 1) A 175 W pulse-start metal halide produces approximately 17,000 initial lumens 13,500 mean lumens and 10,200 fixture lumens this compares to a 130 W Solid-State Plasma Light with 16,200 initial lumens, 13,800 mean lumens and 11,700 fixture lumens.
2) A 250 W pulse-start metal halide produces approximately 24,000 initial lumens 19,200 mean lumens and 14,400 fixture lumens this compares to a 160 W Solid-State Plasma Light with 21,000 initial lumens, 17,850 mean lumens and 12,200 fixture lumens.
Q. What is the restrike time period?
A. The restrike period is approximately 60 seconds.
Q. Is the lamp field-replaceable?
B. Yes, this is a very easy process because the lamp sits outside the resonator cavity and because the resonator cavity is air spaced, the lamp simply unscrews with a few twists. It is also possible to replace lamps with different color temperatures. Because the APL is modular, on the rare occasion that a bulb burns out there is no need to replace the entire fixture or assembly, simply remove the bulb and return to Topanga for failure analysis and responsible disposal.
Q. Is it really a point-source?
A. The term "Point-Source Lighting" refers to both point-like sources of light (lamps) and the compact luminaires that utilize them. Point sources create contrast in an image by casting shadows in "deeper" areas of the object and when properly designed, these luminaires provide optically efficient, glare-free light that produces a bright, high-clarity visual environment. In contrast, the use of extended light sources often leads to fixtures with larger size and proportion which produces direct and reflected views of the light source that are prone to glare.
Q. What is the lifetime of the Lamp and the Driver?
A. All types of electric light sources experience lumen depreciation and the causes of lumen depreciation besides dirt and debris include; tungsten filament lamps suffer from depletion of the filament and accumulation of tungsten particles on the bulb wall, photochemical degradation of the phosphor coating on the glass tube for fluorescents and heat generated at the LED junction sacrifices the solid-state lifetime. Topanga's APL has is filament free, phosphor free and increases efficiency as the temperature rises. APL offers efficient, tailored light that lasts at least 50,000 hours and luminaires designed to take advantage of all the benefits of plasma to exceed the efficacy of any incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, HID and induction Luminaire at 130 lm/W.
Q. How do you know the APL lifetime is 50,000 hours?
A. This number is currently theoretical, but based on extensive in-house testing on various generations of the APL.
Q. Why is it so small and does it need heatsink?
A. Only the electronic driver needs a heatsink. The electrode-free resonator is air spaced and hence light because the lamp sits on top of the resonator.
Q. How is the Lamp powered?
A. The APL utilizes radio frequency energy to illuminate the lamp, offering flexibility in numerous applications.
Q. Are there safety issues related to the use of Radio Frequency?
A. Because the APL does emit radio frequencies on the order of cell towers, proper care and attention to the design is required.
Q. How does cost of the APL compare to the current market?
A. Topanga's APL is currently premium to HID but lower cost than LEDs for higher lumen applications. APL is very close to the cost of traditional metal halide solutions on the market today, and combined with other cost reduction processes the APL offers, it is a very competitive offering.
Q. Is the APL patent protected?
A. Yes, several patents have been approved by the USPTO and more have been filed. As pioneers in Solid-State Plasma Lighting, Topanga's thought leadership is rich in technology and long in history.
Q. What exactly are the advantages of the APL?
A. Topanga's APL captures the best of two worlds - the high efficiency and long life of LEDs, and the high lumen output and cost of a traditional HID system. Its small single-source lamp/system design allows for smaller and more flexible fixture design and footprint, and the replaceable lamp results in lower total cost of ownership. For all applications, the APL offers a start-up time of less than 30 seconds, a re-strike time of less than 60 seconds, and dynamic instantaneous dimming from 20%-100% making the APL superior in system performance.
